Snake Plissken Quotes in Escape from New York (1981)

Bob Hauk: You going to kill me, Snake?

Snake Plissken: Not now, I'm too tired.

[pause]

Snake Plissken: Maybe later.

Bob Hauk: I'm not a fool, Plissken!

Snake Plissken: Call me "Snake."

Bob Hauk: We'd make one hell of a team, Snake!

Snake Plissken: The name's Plissken!

Girl in "Chock Full O'Nuts": You're a cop!

Snake Plissken: I'm an asshole...

Bob Hauk: You go in, find the President, bring him out in 24 hours, and you're a free man.

Snake Plissken: 24 hours, huh?

Bob Hauk: I'm making you an offer.

Snake Plissken: Bullshit!

Bob Hauk: Straight just like I said.

Snake Plissken: I'll think about it.

Bob Hauk: No time. Give me an answer.

Snake Plissken: Get a new president!

Bob Hauk: We're still at war, Plissken. We need him alive.

Snake Plissken: I don't give a fuck about your war... or your president.

Bob Hauk: Is that your answer?

Snake Plissken: I'm thinking about it.

Bob Hauk: Think hard.

Snake Plissken: [pause] Why me?

Bob Hauk: You flew the Gullfire over Leningrad. You know how to get in quiet. You're all I got.

Snake Plissken: [pause] I guess I go in one way or the other... doesn't mean shit to me. All right... I'll do it. Give me the pardon paper.

Bob Hauk: When you come out.

Snake Plissken: Before.

Bob Hauk: I told you I wasn't a fool, Plissken.

Snake Plissken: Call me Snake.

Hauk: Plissken? Plissken, what are you doing?

Snake Plissken: Playing with myself! I'm going in.

Bob Hauk: Remember, once you're inside you're on your own.

Snake Plissken: Oh, you mean I can't count on you?

Bob Hauk: No.

Snake Plissken: Good!

Bob Hauk: In 22 hours, the Hartford Summit Meeting will be over. China and the Soviet Union will go back home. Now, the President was on his way to the summit when his plane went down. He has a briefcase attached to his wrist. The tape recording inside has to reach Hartford in 22 hours.

Snake Plissken: What's on it?

Bob Hauk: You know anything about nuclear fusion?

Snake Plissken: No.

Bob Hauk: The survival of the human race, Plissken. Something you don't give a shit about.

Cronenberg: [Cronenberg approaches Snake with two injection guns] I'm going to inject you. It will sting for a second.

[Cronenberg places both guns on the side of Snake's neck and injects him, producing a loud bang]

Bob Hauk: That's it, Plissken.

Cronenberg: Tell him.

Snake Plissken: Tell me what?

Bob Hauk: That idea you had about turning the Gullfire around 180 degrees and flying off to Canada.

Snake Plissken: What did you do to me, asshole?

Bob Hauk: My idea, Plissken. Something we've been fooling around with. Two microscopic capsules lodged in your arteries. They're already starting to dissolve. In 22 hours, the cores will completely dissolve. Inside the cores are a heat-sensing charge. Not a large explosion, about the size of a pinhead, just big enough to open up both of your arteries. I'd say you'd be dead in 10-15 seconds...

Snake Plissken: [chokes Hauk] Take them out, now!

Cronenberg: They're protected by the cores. Fifteen minutes before the last hour is up, we can neutralize the charge with X-rays.

[Pushes Snake away from Hauk]

Bob Hauk: We'll burn out the charges IF you have the President.

Snake Plissken: What if I'm a little late?

Bob Hauk: No more Hartford Summit. And no more Snake Plissken.

Snake Plissken: When I get back, I'm going to kill you.

Bob Hauk: The Gullfire's waiting.

Cabbie: Brain? Brain, I brought somebody to see you.

Snake Plissken: [recognizes Brain] Harold Helman...

Brain: Snake?

Maggie: [curious] Harold?

Snake Plissken: How you been, Harold? It's been a long time.

Maggie: You never told me you knew Snake Plissken, Brain.

Cabbie: Isn't that great? Hey, Brain, I could use some gas if you could spare some.

Snake Plissken: I'm glad you remember me. Yeah, a man should remember his past. Kansas City, four years ago, you ran out on me... You left me sittin' there.

Brain: You were late.

Snake Plissken: [bitterly] We were buddies, Harold. You, me, and Fresno Bob. You know what they did to Bob, huh?

Snake Plissken: Where's the President?

Cabbie: The Duke got him. Everybody knows the Duke's got him. You don't have to put a gun to my head. I'll tell you.

Snake Plissken: Who's the Duke?

Cabbie: The Duke? The Duke of New York, A-Number-1, the Big Man, that's who!

Snake Plissken: I wanna meet this Duke.

Cabbie: You can't meet the Duke! Are you crazy? Nobody gets to meet the Duke. You meet him once and then you're dead!

Bob Hauk: There was an accident. About an hour ago, a small jet went down inside New York City. The President was on board.

Snake Plissken: The president of what?

Bob Hauk: You going to kill me, Snake?

Snake Plissken: I'm too tired. Maybe later.

Bob Hauk: I got another deal for you. I'd like you to think it over while you're resting. I'd like to offer you a job. We'd make one hell of a team, Snake!

Snake Plissken: The name's Plissken!

Bob Hauk: [reading Plissken's file] S.D. Plissken... American, Lieutenant: Special Forces Unit "Black Light". Two Purple Hearts, Leningrad and Siberia. Youngest man to be decorated by the President. Then you robbed the Federal Reserve Depository... life sentence, New York maximum security penitentary. I'm about to kick your ass out of *the world*, war hero...

Snake Plissken: [calmly strikes a match against Hauk's desk to light his cigarette and in a bored tone of voice] Who're you?

Bob Hauk: Hauk, Police Commissioner.

Snake Plissken: Bob Hauk...

Bob Hauk: Special Forces Unit "Texas Thunder"... we heard of you too, Plissken.

Snake Plissken: [radioing a pullout request] All right, get your machine ready, I'm coming out.

Bob Hauk: 18 hours left, Plissken!

Snake Plissken: Listen to me, Hauk. The President is dead, you got that? Somebody's had him for dinner!

Bob Hauk: Plissken, if you get back in that glider and fly back here without the tape or the President, I'll shoot you down myself! You try to climb out, I'll burn you off the wall! Do you understand that, Plissken?

Snake Plissken: [beat] A little human compassion.

Snake Plissken: [to Maggie] You wanna see him sprayed all over that map, baby? Now where's the President?

Bob Hauk: [referring to the Gullfire] Is the glider intact?

Snake Plissken: Yeah, but takin' off is for shit... I'll work it out.

Brain: Swear to God Snake, I thought you were dead...

Snake Plissken: Yeah, you and everybody else!

Snake Plissken: [after threatening Brain with his machine gun] You always were smart, Harold.

Brain: Just one thing, right now... don't call me Harold!

President: Oh... listen, I want to thank you back there for saving my life. If there's anything you want... anything at all...

Snake Plissken: Just a moment of your time.

President: Of course... Yes?

Snake Plissken: We did get you out. But a lot of people died in the process. I just wondered how you felt about it.

President: [cocky, distant tone] Well, I... I wanna thank them. This nation appreciates their sacrifice.

[pause]

President: Look, I'm on in... two minutes?

[shaking his head with disgust, Snake walks away]

Brain: I swear to God, Snake, I thought you were dead.

Snake Plissken: Yeah. You and everybody else.

Snake Plissken: What's wrong with Broadway?

Snake Plissken: Got a smoke?

Malloy: The United States is a no-smoking nation. No smoking, no drinking, no drugs. No women - unless of course you're married. No guns, no foul language... no red meat.

Snake Plissken: [sarcastic] Land of the free.

Snake Plissken: Sad story. You got a smoke?

President: All right, I've heard enough. Would you explain to this foot soldier why he's going to do what we tell him to do.

Snake Plissken: What's he talking about?

Malloy: The Plutoxin Seven virus.

Brazen: Genetically engineered. 100% pure death.

Malloy: It starts with a slight headache, then turns into a fever that gets worse. After a short time, you crash. You bleed out like a stuck pig. Not a pretty sight.

Snake Plissken: I get it. You figure that you inject that shit into me, and under the threat of death, I'll do whatever you say... just like in New York.

Malloy: You got it... Snake!

Snake Plissken: One question: which one of you assholes gets to die trying to stick me?

Malloy: You don't understand. It's already in you.

[Snake looks down at his hand, where it was scratched earlier]

Brazen: Catches on quick, doesn't he?

[after the President orders Snake executed]

Malloy: On my command... FIRE!

[the soldiers open fire, without effect. Malloy grabs a rifle, walks up to Snake, and swings the butt through his body]

Brazen: He's not even *here*! He's a hologram!

Snake Plissken: Catches on quick, doesn't she?

President: What's it going to be, Plissken? Them or us?

Snake Plissken: I shut down the third world, you win they lose. I shut down America, they win, you lose. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Snake Plissken: By the way, who gives me the antidote?

Malloy: A medical team will be standing by.

Snake Plissken: Neither one of you?

Malloy: No.

Snake Plissken: Good!

[Snake opens fire on Malloy and Brazen with his assault rifle, but to no effect. Malloy and Brazen do not flinch or even blink]

Malloy: Ha! We thought you might try that, hotshot. That's why the first clip is loaded with blanks. Bye bye, Snake. Good luck!

[last lines]

[after having shut down all machinery in the world]

Snake Plissken: Welcome to the human race.

Malloy: For God sakes, don't do it, Snake!

Snake Plissken: The name's Plissken.

[pushes the button]

[Snake is racing in a submarine]

Malloy: Slow it down, Plissken! You're overloading the power plant!

Snake Plissken: You slow down, dickhead! I'm the one who's dying!

[facing four gunmen at once]

Snake Plissken: I'm gonna give you assholes a chance. What do you say we play a little Bangkok Rules?

[picks up a tin can. The four gunmen back up and get ready]

Snake Plissken: Nobody draws until this hits the ground.

[throws the can high into the air, then pulls his revolvers and kills all four gunmen before the can lands. Can hits the ground]

Snake Plissken: Draw.

[rumble]

Snake Plissken: What's that?

Pipeline: Tsu-nami, Snake! Tsunami!

Hershe Las Palmas: What's in it for me?

Snake Plissken: I know that voice. You're Carjack Malone.

Snake Plissken: Your rules are really beginning to annoy me.

Snake Plissken: You'd better hope I don't make it back!

Snake Plissken: [bored tone of voice] Who are you?

President: I'm your President.

Snake Plissken: [unimpressed] Understand you got some domestic problems...

Taslima: I read your future.

Snake Plissken: The future is right now.

Malloy: This is your last chance, hotshot.

Snake Plissken: For what?

Malloy: Freedom.

Snake Plissken: In America? That died a long time ago.

Taslima: What are you doing here in LA?

Snake Plissken: Dying.

President: If you go to Los Angeles, and come back with that black box and put it in my hand, you'll be given a full pardon for every moral crime you've committed in the United States.

Snake Plissken: Sounds familiar.

Snake Plissken: [to the President] I can see you're real concerned about your daughter.

Duty Sergeant: What would you say to all of us who believed in you, who looked up to you, who thought you stood for right over wrong, good over evil? Be my guest. What do you have to say, Plissken?

Snake Plissken: Call me Snake.

Snake Plissken: You know where I can find Cuervo Jones?

Skinhead: What do I look like, a fuckin' tour guide?

Snake Plissken: Fuck you, I'm going to Hollywood...

Snake Plissken: [Snake finds a dead thug wearing his stolen jacket] I'll take my coat back now, asshole.

President: [final scene, talking to Plissken's hologram] What's it going to be, Plissken? Them or us?

Snake Plissken: I shut down the third world, you win they lose. I shut down America, they win, you lose. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

President: So what are you going to do?

Snake Plissken: Disappear.

Brazen: [Plissken types 6-6-6 into the satellite control] He's entered the world code. No target code. Sir, that will shut down the entire planet.

Snake Plissken: I told you you'd better hope I didn't make it back.

Malloy: You push that button, 500 years' worth of work will be finished. Our technology, our way of life, our entire history. We'll have to start all over again. For God's sakes, don't do it, Snake!

Snake Plissken: The name's Plissken.

Utopia: [Plissken activates the satellites, shutting down all power, which saves Utopia from being executed in the electric chair] He did it! He shut down the Earth!

Snake Plissken: [Lights a cigarette and blows out the match used to light it] Welcome to the human race.

Jack Burton: Rough day?

Snake Plissken: You don't wanna know.

Jack Burton: Yeah I had me onea those not too long ago way out West. I tell ya, it was like the Gods looked down on me and asked is there anything we can do to make your day more worse than it already is. I'm thinking to myself...

Snake Plissken: Anyone ever tell you, you talk too much?

Jack Burton: Every damn day, but seriously.

Snake Plissken: Shut the fuck up!

Jack Burton: You know if we keep meeting like this, people's heads are gonna turn.

Snake Plissken: Oh fuck, you?

Jack Burton: ME! How ya doin', Snake? You look like you've been running from a few unsavory characters.

Donna Kinski: So what are you doing in Jersey, Snake?

Snake Plissken: Looks like I'm walking, because the bar I was getting drunk at kicked me out.

Snake Plissken: I've had a long fucking weekend. What do you want from me?

Armando Barone: What do I want? Snake I want my money.

Gwar Fan: Reach for the sky one eye!

Snake Plissken: That's a nice piece of hardware.

Gwar Fan: Top'O the line, black market shit. Now reach for the fucking sky and give me those God damn creds!

Snake Plissken: I'll take the gun.